Activities of Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE related to 2022/2199(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (30)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to the final report of 26 July 2021 by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe (OSCE) Election Observation Mission on the Republic of Albania’s parliamentary elections of 25 April 2021,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication of 14 April 2021 on the EU strategy to tackle organised crime 2021-2025 (COM(2021)0170),
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 b (new)
Citation 27 b (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication of 24 July 2020 entitled ‘2020-2025 EU action plan on firearms trafficking’ (COM(2020)0608),
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the EU remains fully committed to support Albania’s strategic choice for EU integration; whereas European integration represents the aspirations of Albanian citizens towards democracy and prosperity;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the prospect of Albania’s merit-based membership is in the Union’s own political, security and economic interests; whereas Albania’s EU accession depends on lasting, in-depth and irreversible reforms across fundamental areas, starting with the rule of law and the functioning of democratic institutions; whereas the quality of a country’s necessary reforms determine the timetable for accession;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas democratic transformation, the rule of law and reconciliation play a central rois indispensable in the EU accession process;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas protection of minorities is crucial for aspiring EU member states; whereas the implementing legislation on free self-identification of national minorities and the use of minority languages remains to be adopted in Albania;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas electoral shortcomings persist in Albania; whereas the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations to further improve the conduct of elections in Albania and bring them fully in line with the OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards have not yet been fully addressed;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU remains the main political and economic partner of the Western Balkan countries; whereas the EU continues to be by far Albania’s biggest trade and investment partner and its largest provider of financial assistance;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas Albanian citizens have enjoyed visa-free travel to the Schengen area since December 2010 and have been able to participate in student, academic and youth exchanges under the Erasmus+ programme since 2015;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the pace of EU accession is determined by the progress on the due functioning of all institutions and is grounded in the rule of law, good governance and fundamental rights; Encourages its policymakers to accelerate the reforms that enabled the first long overdue intergovernmental conference and a successful start to the screening process, and to demonstrate steady progress in guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights; urges decision- makers to work jointly towards meeting the membership criteria by 2030as soon as possible; recalls that candidate countries undergo in-depth transformations to fulfil membership criteria during accession negotiations, which last as long as needed to implement the necessary reforms; stresses the need to strengthen the transparency, accountability and inclusiveness of the accession process, including its parliamentary dimension;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes that the government maintained a focus on reforms related to the country’s EU path and reinforced its coordination structure for EU integration; stresses that the government, in cooperation with the opposition and all segments of society, needs to further advance the EU reform agenda;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores political confrontation and disruptive actions and underlines a joint political and social responsibility for reforms; invites political actors to step up their commitment to dialogue and to strengthen democratic institutions and procedures through constructive engagement, the active participation of civil society, inclusive consultations and transparent decision-making; recalls the need to strengthen parliamentary oversight and underlines that the political opposition needs to be able to monitor and scrutinize the government;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Deplores that the impending electoral reform was not concluded before the local elections in 2023; Calls on the Albanian authorities to fully address the outstandingOSCE/ODIHR electoral and party financing recommendations well ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections; stresses the need to prevent misuse of public administration/resources and vote- buying;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes the ongoing progress and looks forward to systematic improvements in the prevention, proactive investigation and prosecution of and non-selective final convictions for cases involving corruption and organised crime; calls for further progress in establishing a comprehensive, efficient, soundly coordinated and accountable public administrationstresses that increasing the number of final convictions of high-level officials remains an important priority to tackle the existing culture of impunity; notes that there were no convictions of officials on high-level corruption charges;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that Albania remains both a destination and a transit country for light firearms; expresses concern over the wide prevalence of firearms in Albania; stresses the need to counter the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Underlines that the contribution of Albania to the protection of the European Union’s external border is of crucial importance; stresses that border protection and the prevention of cross- border crime, notably human trafficking, must continue to be a priority;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. calls for further progress in establishing a comprehensive, efficient, soundly coordinated and accountable public administration; points out that greater political will and more structured and consistent efforts, including adequate resources, tools and skills, remain necessary in the fight against corruption;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recalls that infrastructure projects, including in and around the port of Durrës, must comply with EU standards on public procurement contained in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Condemns malign foreign interference and hybrid attacks, including disinformation, espionage, incitement to all forms of radicalisation and cyberattacks against Albanian citizens and critical infrastructure; invites the authorities to prevent data leaks by considerably strengthening cybersecurity; encourages the EU European External Action Service and Commission to further help boost Albania’s resilience against hybrid threats, in the area of cyber security, information manipulation and protection of critical infrastructures; stresses the need to improve coordination and address disinformation and hybrid threats that seek to undermine the EU perspective by more strategically underscoring the EU’s relevance to people in the Western Balkans;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on Albania to swiftly adopt the remaining pending legislation ensuring the full protection of national minorities, particularly the implementing legislation on free self-identification of national minorities and the use of minority languages;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Welcomes that Albania submitted its first report on the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence; reiterates the conclusions of the Committee of the Parties to the Istanbul Convention, stating the urgency of increasing resources to put legal provisions into practice; stresses that efforts are needed to increase women’s awareness of their rights and available services relating to domestic violence and protection;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Underlines that child sexual abuse online remains a serious concern; notes that the efforts to detecting and retorting child sexual abuse material online needs to increase, and that existing laws prohibiting child pornography and the online sexual exploitation of children need to be properly enforced;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Deplores that no progress was made on the rights of persons with disabilities and that Albania’s legislation on the rights of persons with disabilities remains only partially in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; calls on Albania to address the UNCRPD gaps and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; notes that the 2021-2025 national action plan for people with disabilities did not have enough funding, hence it could not be fully implemented; calls for more robust efforts to address discrimination and violence against persons with disabilities, to improve overall accessibility and to promote employment; expresses deep concern over the reports of limited access to voting for persons with disabilities;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Regrets that no progress was made regarding freedom of expression, and the increase in disinformation including smear campaigns, intimidation and threats, especially in online media and against journalists reporting on rule of law, corruption and justice issues;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Expresses its concern with the lack of progress on achieving institutional transparency, freedom of expression and media freedom and stresses the role of political leaders in creating an enabling environment for the pursuit of these freedoms; condemns attempts to discredit reporters and arbitrarily withhold public information, as well as the failure to ensure the safety of journalists; urges the authorities to take immediate action against political and economic interference in the media and intimidation against reporters; welcomes the withdrawal of the draft anti- defamation legisexpresses concern over enduring inflammatory rhetoric, including by high-level politicians, public officials and other public figures, which fuels the culture of intimidation, smear campaigns, violence and rioting, and calls for the final convictions of those who attack journalists to be ensured; urges the authorities to take immediate action against political and economic interference in the media and intimidation against reporters; welcomes the withdrawal of the draft anti- defamation legislation; stresses that that any revision of media laws should be in line with the Venice Commission recommendations and should take place in a transparent and inclusive manner, in consultation with media organisations, with the aim of improving media freedom and self-regulation; urges the government to ensure the independence of the public broadcaster and media regulator and the transparency of media ownership, financing and public advertising;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Underlines the importance of journalists’ equal, direct and transparent access to information from government sources; in this regard, expresses concern over the need for all government public relations to be handled by the newly created Media and Information Agency; encourages the government to improve access to the reporting and scrutinising of its work via official and formal channels, such as press conferences and interviews;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Welcomes steps in accelerating the energy transition and energy diversification towards wind and solar power; applauds, in this regard, the EU energy support package for the Western Balkans and calls on the authorities to make the best use of this assistance in order to build a resilient and environmentally friendly energy market; notes that no new energy efficiency funding mechanisms have been put in place;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Commends the removal of roaming charges between the Western Balkan states; welcomes the Roaming Declaration enabling the reduction of the roaming charges between the EU and the Western Balkans as of 1 October 2023;